Long a Halloween icon, bat decorations are always a mainstay of holiday decorating themes. Bats are seemingly everywhere at Halloween time. But what is it about bats that capture our horror and imagination?
Bats are mysterious creatures of the night, who flutter around, sometimes close to our heads while they mysteriously hunt for mosquitos and flying insects. Urban myth has it that these leathery winged hunters have a fondness for landing in peoples hair, where they become quickly entangled. Rodent-like, bats have very sharp teeth with ugly pointed ears and hideous little faces that only their mother could love.
Since the media portrayal of vampires began in the 19th century, the bat has become associated with the real life vampire bat of South America and in turn with vampirism. What could creep a person out more, than to have their blood feasted upon, while asleep and defenseless? Vampires were long thought to assume the form of bats and wolves in order to avoid recognition and evade capture by their pursuers.
These small, furry, winged mammals have a fondness for inhabiting abandoned castles and haunted houses, where they lay low during daylight hours, hideously hanging upside down from the rafters by their claws. Emerging at twilight, like ghosts and other fearful entities, they swirl into the night sky, to pursue their prey. Like most human fears, bats inhabit the night, mysterious and misunderstood.
Bats are also associated with caves and of course, witches. Witches not only share their caves and hovels with black cats, but also with bats. Dried wing of bat is a popular and necessary ingredient for many witch spell potions and recipes. By living with bats, witches assure themselves of a well stocked medicine cabinet as well as a fuzzy flying pet.
Bat decorations
- what better Halloween symbol than the bat? Dark, secretive and sinister the bat rules the night sky and thus becomes associated with apprehension and fear, bat decorations are the perfect backdrop for Halloween fun!